Cabinet mounted electronic equipment utilizes back panels to which internal electronic components are coupled by way of electrical conductors to cabling that interconnects the electronic components of the one cabinet to electronic components mounted within another cabinet. These back panels have traditionally been mounted to the frame of the cabinet by means of fasteners such as screws. In order to reduce assembly cost, it is highly desirable to eliminate the use of these fastening devices. Conversely, if the panel is to be removed, the fastening devices have to be disconnected.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,077 entitled "Assembly Having a Chassis and Removably Mounted Panels" by R. C. Oeler et al., there is disclosed a circuit board connected to a chassis using snap-in fasteners which are assisted by a screw-in type clamp for permitting quick assembly and disassembly of a circuit board from the chassis' frame.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,998 entitled "Corner Edge Connector for Printed Circuit Boards" by J. M. Ammerman. The invention is directed to a pair of L-shaped edge connectors which have a formed slotted channel for receiving the edges of a circuit board and wherein one leg of each connector is provided with snap-in couplers for securing the printed circuit board to a supporting structure. The L-shaped configuration of the edge connectors provides additional support to the circuit board to relieve the strain from the connector area.